Tags for Ododo Wa: Stories of Girls in War

Exhibition details

Ododo Wa: Stories of Girls in War traces the journey of two girls from Uganda – Evelyn Amony and Grace Acan – who were abducted and held captive for years by a rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). After their ordeal, Evelyn and Grace discovered the power of using their voices to find healing and seek justice for women who survived captivity with the LRA.

Enslaved as wives and labourers, the harrowing realities that Grace and Evelyn confronted every day are underscored in Ododo Wa by powerful images and artifacts: the green skirt with bullet holes that Evelyn wore when she was captured during a military ambush; a blue school sweater like the one Grace was wearing the night she was abducted.

Photo: CMHR, Aaron Cohen

The exhibit’s walls are illustrated with drawings created by women survivors as they worked through their trauma in storytelling circles.

Drawing by Evelyn Amony depicting her abduction, 2010–2011. Her grandmother’s home was set on fire by soldiers.

Photo: Courtesy of Erin Baines

The exhibit also sets the stage for two animated films that feature Evelyn and Grace courageously sharing their personal stories. Vivid animated drawings express their lives in captivity and illustrate the dangers they faced from both the LRA and government soldiers before finally returning to their homes and families.

Visit Ododo Wa for a moving and unforgettable encounter with these two women determined to overcome their painful past by speaking out, working for justice and aspiring to a better future for themselves and their children.

Ododo Wa: Stories of Girls in War runs in the Level 5 Rights Today gallery until November 2020.